Interim Report to the Diocese
Since it has been some time since we have reported to you about the progress our diocese has been making, we would like to share with you the following summary of the accomplishments of the past 17 months. We also welcome your participation in the discussions, planning and work that lie ahead of us as we move toward the election of the third Bishop of the Diocese of El Camino Real.
Introduction
On March 31, 2004, the second Bishop of the Diocese of El Camino Real resigned. Many members of the diocese wanted to begin a search for the next bishop immediately. Others thought we should wait, taking time out to examine ourselves and our history, and to evaluate the current structures and programs of the diocese. After a time of discussion, study and prayer, your diocesan leaders agreed that it was best for the diocese to proceed carefully through this interim time, in order to build a solid foundation for future ministry.
1. Diocesan Conferences
Ongoing diocesan Conferences have been a major part of this work of building the future. (Conferences began in May, 2004 and will conclude with a final Conference on September 17, 2005.) The Conference Planning team, working with experienced consultants, has led the diocese through a process to develop our vision for the future. The Conferences have also helped us strengthen our relationships and sense of community, fostered spiritual maturity, and clarified where we want to focus our financial resources.
· In May 2004, a number of lay leaders spoke of the need for diocesan healing. Therefore, the September 2004 Conference - "Forgiving the Past, Living into the Future" - focused on the process of healing.
· In October 2004, the first of a series of meetings with our Assisting Bishop began. In the months since then, Bishop Romero has met with priests, deacons, and lay people in various gatherings throughout the diocese. The meaning and practice of "shared ministry" has been a primary topic in these discussions. Discussion of shared ministry continued at a Conference in November 2004.
· At Diocesan Convention in January 2005, delegates began discussing priorities for our future. In February, March, and April 2005, laity and clergy met in deaneries to review diocesan history and identify norms - those norms we wish to keep and those we wish to set aside. In June 2005, clergy and laity met together to finish the work on norms and move toward discerning core values and priorities.
· Throughout this summer, Bishop Romero and lay members of the Standing Committee have met with the laity in various regions of the diocese, discussing our core values and vision for the future.
· At this month's Conference on September 17 (at All Saints' Episcopal Church, Carmel), all members of the diocese are invited to share their ideas about the future direction of our diocese, and to help determine the important qualities we are looking for in the third Bishop of El Camino Real.
2. Improving Communication
Clear and open communication is a core value for our emerging diocese We have improved our communication systems in an ongoing attempt to include everyone in the information loop: regular diocesan updates from the Standing Committee, Council, and Administrator; a series of open discussions with our Assisting Bishop; the new newsletter (in a few months "Along the King's Highway" will again come in newspaper form along with the national paper, "Episcopal Life").
3. Strengthening Leadership
Effective leadership is a core value for our emerging diocese. We have re-built our leadership team: the Assisting Bishop, who is bringing every member of the diocese into the discussion; the Diocesan Administrator and his increasingly efficient administrative team; the Standing Committee's Liaisons, who are working with various diocesan committees; the Diocesan Leadership Team, which is promoting collaborative leadership among our elected bodies; the new Canon for Evangelism and Congregational Growth, whose job description was developed with much diocesan input; the Interim Youth Coordinator, who is working on building connections with people engaged in youth ministry throughout the diocese.
4. Managing Finances
Responsible management of our resources is a core value for our emerging diocese. We have reorganized the financial and operational management of the diocese, correcting the deficiencies noted in previous audits; this year the auditors gave us a great audit and management letter. We have been working with DIEM to revise the way the diocese supports and evaluates mission congregations. In response to a Convention Resolution, a team of clergy and laity has been examining the way we fund the diocese, and is now drafting its report to the diocese.
5. Fostering Spiritual Growth
Attention to matters of the Spirit is a core value for our emerging diocese. Our Assisting Bishop has brought his prayerful approach to every task, and with his leadership every diocesan group is seeking to discern God's leading for its own work. Over the past year clergy and laity, separately and together, have gathered with the Bishop for prayer, reflection on Scripture, discernment and open discussion. Monday Morning Meditations, written by our bishop, priests, and deacons, have reflected on the Scriptures for the approaching Sunday; lay people will soon join this group of writers. By the end of this year the Bishop will have visited every congregation in the diocese at least once. The Bishop's Visitations do not always include Confirmation, but they do include worship, meeting the congregation, and discussing congregational life with the Vestry or Bishop's Committee.
6. Sharing Ministry
Shared ministry is a core value of our emerging diocese. For the past year, diocesan leaders have been practicing "Shared Ministry" even as they have worked to define it. Discussions between Bishop Romero, members of major diocesan bodies, and laity and clergy throughout the diocese have led to the following preliminary definition: "Shared Ministry" means open communication and consultation between diocesan leaders and members of the diocese.
The work to define and practice shared ministry continues. How would you begin to define "Shared Ministry"? What does shared ministry mean to you and to your congregation? What could shared ministry mean for the future of our diocese?
Conclusion
In looking back to that time when we had just lost our bishop, one current diocesan leader who has participated in every Conference writes, "We have come a long way since spring 2004. I think we were very wounded in 2004. We did not know what was going on: too many rumors, poor understanding of the diocesan situation. Now there is better spirit, more understanding, more sharing, and a feeling of trust. The Bishop's visits with parishes and missions have promoted more interest in the diocese and have certainly brought people to a better understanding of how a bishop can function in a pastoral way. People are better able to define who they are and what they want in a diocese."
Do you agree? What do you think? Have you shared your own point of view? We look forward to discussing all this at our last Conference on September 17 (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) at All Saints', Carmel.
